


Stand By You

by fallingsnow6136



Series: Gentron Week 2020 [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bullying, Gen, Matt and Shiro are good brothers, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, keith and pidge have a conversation thats long overdue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingsnow6136/pseuds/fallingsnow6136
Summary: When Pidge takes a stand to defend an awkward Keith from a giggling girl who is flirting with him, she ends up running into her own past demons. Humiliated, she withdraws, only to learn her and Keith have more in common than she thought.
Relationships: Keith & Pidge | Katie Holt
Series: Gentron Week 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862101
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42
Collections: Gentronweek





	Stand By You

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I took a different angle in ‘Taking the Hit for the Other’ than what was expected from it and used it in the more metaphorical sense. I’m using my two favourite Paladins for this, so this should be fun. Post-epilogue, Pidge is the legal driving age but she drives like a lunatic so no one is brave enough to teach her. Just one of my more obscure headcanons because she’s not very instinctive.

Not having a driver’s license after Matt gave up teaching Pidge did come up with a disadvantage. Thankfully, this was one thing Pidge did not mind turning to her team for help in so when Keith offered to drive her to the Garrison, she had easily agreed. The two of them did like the walk that led to his car so Keith would usually park at a distance so they could walk there together. Today was no exception.  
  
“Keith, you know, you could always teach me how to drive?” Pidge said, blinking at her friend innocently causing Keith to chuckle.  
  
“Pidge, I can’t teach you something even driving instructors won’t,” Keith said, rolling his eyes. “Driving is just following your instincts.”  
  
Pidge frowned at that. “I’m not really good at that though. Like I usually follow everything written in the manuals unless something strange happens, which it usually does.”  
  
“You think about it too much,” Keith said to her softly. “Driving is a lot like piloting, you know. Sometimes, you have to make decisions on the spot.”  
  
Pidge was about to reply when she heard a bunch of giggling girls on the way, one of them walking over to them and winking at Keith.  
  
“Hey there, handsome,” The girl said, moving in a little too close. “Where have you been all my life?”  
  
“Um,” Keith stared slightly, before stepping back and reaching for Pidge’s hand. She could see the discomfort flash across his face and she didn’t blame him – that girl was way too forward.  
  
Pidge squeezed Keith’s hand, before glaring sharply at the girl. “Hey, back off. You’re making him uncomfortable.”  
  
The blonde girl raised an eyebrow, popping bubble-gum out of her mouth as she spoke. “What’s your problem? What are you, his girlfriend?”  
  
Keith flushed slightly at this and Pidge raised an eyebrow. Honestly, why wasn’t she surprised? Popular girls always thought the only relationship between a male and a female could be romantic. She was about to reply when another girl moved over from the group and her blood went cold. No, it couldn’t be.

“Katie? Katie Holt?” The other girl said, her black side fringe falling onto the side of her face.

The blonde girl frowned. “Wait, Katie Holt? The girl no one bothered to talk to?”

“Don’t be mean, Mandy,” The dark-haired girl said with a laugh. “We talked to her. When we needed someone to do our homework for us.”

The flush died from Keith’s cheeks but Pidge couldn’t reply or even acknowledge anything around her. Serena had made her life a living hell when she was back in school. ‘Teacher’s pet’ ‘Nerd’ ‘Show off’.

_Katie always had trouble making friends because they thought she was different - the odd one out. The teachers loved her but the other girls and classmates...not really. Still, she had promised Matt that she would try so she walked over to Serena and her little gang._

_“Hey,” Katie said, trying to be nice. “Can I sit with you guys for lunch?”_

_Serena raised an eyebrow. “We don’t have homework that needs to be completed, I think you came to the wrong place, Katie.”_

_“I…” Katie’s voice faltered at that. “I just want to make some friends, that’s all.”_

_Serena stared and the other girls who were talking stopped their discussion turning to look at her before they all began laughing._

_“You...want to be our friend?” Serena choked out through her laughter. “Good joke, Katie. Maybe you are good for something, after all.”_

“Pidge? Pidge!” Keith’s voice brought her out of her thoughts and she blinked, looking at Serena and Amanda, who she now recalled, staring at her with the same condescending expressions they had back then. Even now, they were still so much better than her. She brought her attention back to Keith, who looked concerned.

“Pidge?” Serena said chuckling. “Nice nickname. Have you told your boyfriend about the time you slipped in the mud in PE? The only teacher you didn’t have wrapped around your pinky finger, he sent you home too afterward.”

Keith’s grip tightened around Pidge’s hand and he looked like he was about to speak up because his expression had hardened, but Pidge pulled her hand away and bolted from there. She could hear Keith calling her name and the girls’ laughter but she ignored it as tears pricked at her eyes. She would have kept running if Keith hadn’t caught up to her and grabbed a hold of her.

“Pidge, slow down,” Keith began but Pidge squirmed, scowling slightly at her friend.

“Just go away, Keith!” Pidge snapped, harsher than she intended as she forced her voice not to crack. “I can get to the Garrison on my own!”

Keith shook his head. “I’m not leaving you alone.”

“Why?” Pidge said, her fists clenching. “Why do you care, Keith? Just go laugh with them! You were the best student in your class. People admire you, they think you’re amazing and handsome, so you don’t need to pity me ok? Just leave me alone!”

“Pidge, will you listen to me for two minutes?” Keith said, frowning as he moved to stand in front of her. “I would never laugh at you. Not just because I’m your friend and that’s a horrible thing for a friend to do but because I get it. More than you know. Shiro was really my first friend.”

Pidge did stop at that. Keith couldn’t lie to save his life and she looked at his expression. “Keith…”

“People called me a discipline case and I would get into fights,” Keith admitted. “Even my teachers didn’t believe I would go anywhere. But you know, Shiro told me I can’t give up on myself and let other people decide where I’m going to go. My life would have been a lot different if he hadn’t been there to guide me. I wasn’t popular or well-liked, Pidge. In fact, outside of Shiro, you…” He flushed a bit, now averting his gaze and becoming a bit awkward. “You were kind of my first friend.”

Pidge didn’t know how to respond at first but then her thoughts drifted to how upset Keith had been at her leaving. It had never mattered before whether she stayed or left and she did have a feeling Keith wasn’t just upset because of Voltron but now, he had confirmed it.   
“Matt was kind of like that for me,” Pidge admitted quietly. “My first real friend because no one else liked me. The other kids, they either laughed or became my friend when I could be of some help in improving their grades. I never really belonged anywhere because it was like…” She wasn’t sure how to put it into words.

“Like no one really understood?” Keith supplied. “I get that but we’re not alone. Not anymore, we have each other and the other Paladins. Besides, I’m sure you could give them a much better present than a little mud bath.” His lips quirked slightly at that.

Pidge saw the look on Keith’s face, laughing a little. “You know, maybe I should give them a little present. Given how much effort they put into their beauty, it’d be a shame if their usual makeup gave them acne, wouldn’t it?”

Keith snickered at this. “Oh yeah. Absolutely.”

**Author's Note:**

> I ship these two so it was really fun writing them platonically.


End file.
